Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) have introduced sweeping legislation that would fundamentally transform how Americans purchase firearms, requiring federal government approval before any citizen could legally acquire a gun.
The Federal Firearm Licensing Act, introduced on Dec. 17, 2025, would mandate that every American obtain a federal firearm license before purchasing or receiving any firearm. The proposal represents one of the most comprehensive federal gun control measures in recent years, establishing a nationwide licensing system that would place significant new requirements inbetween law-abiding citizens and their Second Amendment rights.
Under the proposed legislation, Americans would need to complete mandatory firearms safety training that includes both written testing and hands-on instruction before qualifying for a license. The Attorney General would conduct background checks on every applicant, and the FBI would perform regular compliance checks to monitor license holders. Each license would expire after five years, requiring gun owners to renew their permission to purchase firearms.
The bill would also fundamentally alter how Americans can buy and sell firearms privately. Unlicensed individuals could no longer transfer guns directly to other unlicensed individuals. Instead, all transactions would need to flow through licensed dealers who would conduct background checks. Selling or transferring a firearm to someone without a valid federal or state license issued within the previous 30 days would become illegal, with sellers required to report such transactions to law enforcement.
Booker defended the measure by invoking a recent tragedy at Brown University. “Every day, Americans face the relentless scourge of gun violence, most recently the shooting at Brown University, which claimed the lives of two students and left nine others critically wounded,” the New Jersey senator stated. “With each new tragedy, we are painfully reminded of Congress’s continued failure to pass commonsense legislation that could end this nightmare and finally make our communities safe.”
The senator drew comparisons to vehicle licensing requirements. “If a license is required to drive a car, it should be required to own a gun,” Booker argued. “The Federal Firearm Licensing Act brings this common sense idea to every community in the nation, mandating background checks and proper training before a license is issued.”
Senator Kim echoed these sentiments, stating that “families are demanding Congress step up and deliver commonsense steps that prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands and protect innocent lives from the scourge of gun violence in our country.”
The legislation has drawn support from gun control advocacy organizations. Giffords and the Community Justice Action Fund have endorsed the bill, while cos-ponsors include Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-TC), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).
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Second Amendment advocates have substantial reasons for concern. The bill would create unprecedented federal control over a constitutional right, requiring Americans to seek government permission before exercising their ability to purchase firearms. The mandatory training, testing, and licensing requirements establish barriers that could prevent law-abiding citizens from acquiring guns for self-defense, hunting, or sport shooting.
The five year renewal requirement means gun owners would need to repeatedly prove their worthiness to the federal government to maintain their ability to purchase firearms. The Attorney General would gain authority to revoke licenses if officials deem someone “a danger to themselves or others,” a standard that could be subjectively enforced and susceptible to political manipulation.
The prohibition on private transfers represents a direct assault on how many Americans have traditionally bought and sold firearms within their communities. Gun shows, family transfers, and sales between acquaintances would all require government intermediaries and documentation. The mandatory reporting requirements to law enforcement create a de facto registry of gun transactions that privacy advocates and gun rights supporters have long opposed.
The legislation also establishes ongoing FBI monitoring of license holders through the Rap Back service, meaning gun owners would be subject to continuous government surveillance. This perpetual oversight raises civil liberties concerns that extend beyond the Second Amendment into broader questions about government tracking of citizens exercising constitutional rights.
While the bill includes a provision allowing states with similar licensing systems to potentially gain exemptions from the federal mandate, the legislation would still establish a nationwide framework that could serve as a foundation for future restrictions. Moreover, this could create a slippery slope where today’s licensing requirements become tomorrow’s justification for expanded gun control measures.
The comparison to driver’s licenses, while rhetorically appealing to supporters, fundamentally misconstrues constitutional protections. Driving is a privilege regulated by states, while the Second Amendment explicitly protects the right to keep and bear arms. The Constitution contains no provision requiring Americans to obtain government permission before exercising enumerated rights.
The Federal Firearm Licensing Act faces significant hurdles in a Republican trifecta in DC and would likely encounter immediate constitutional challenges if passed. Second Amendment advocacy groups would almost certainly file lawsuits arguing the licensing scheme violates the fundamental right to keep and bear arms by imposing undue burdens on gun ownership.
For Americans who value their Second Amendment rights, this legislation represents a fundamental shift in how the federal government would regulate firearms. Rather than targeting criminals, the bill creates a comprehensive system requiring every American to prove their worthiness to federal authorities before purchasing a gun.
As this legislation moves forward, the debate will ultimately center on whether Americans need government permission to exercise rights the Founders deemed inalienable.
About José Niño
José Niño is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can contact him via Facebook and X/Twitter. Subscribe to his Substack newsletter by visiting “Jose Nino Unfiltered” on Substack.com.
We need licensing of politicians before they can speak or propose bills. First appointment is January 2036.
Significant hurdles? Like never being brought up for a vote in the House? Or may just that President Trump would never sign that garbage? Booker and Kim are both just posturing for the media.
F Cory Booker.
There’s a couple of errors in this article. The article lists Adam “PencilNeck” Schiff, Alex “Juan” Padilla and Mazie “Insane” Hirono as Republicans. Not in a million years.
As a matter of fact, every senator listed in the article are representatives of the lunatic fringe wing of the dimocRAT party.
I have always resented the “car = gun” argument. Look at the way these licensed drivers drive their cars!! Do you really believe anyone on the road is abiding by everything that was in their state’s Driver Training Manuals?? I don’t It has been my observation that gun owners without gun licenses are on the whole far and away more responsible than the discourteous, impatient idiot drivers I see in every state I have ever travelled. (I hold an interstate CDL, so I must conduct myself on the road to a higher, more careful standard than said idiots.) A story… Read more »
I’d call it MOAI.
Mother Of All Infringements.
As they say, “Go big or go home.”
Sen. Booker has never been shy about going big.
“’If a license is required to drive a car, it should be required to own a gun,’ Booker argued.”
You don’t need a license to buy or own a car, only to drive one on public roads. There’s no background check to transfer a car title. Spartacus’s chauffeur could have told him that.
“The Federal Firearm Licensing Act faces significant hurdles in a Republican trifecta in DC and would likely encounter immediate constitutional challenges if passed.” The ‘Republican trifecta’ is not a given beyond the next election. Unfortunately, there are far too many non-thinking voters in this country to expect a ‘right-thinking’ federal government will result from any future political contest. Most recent ‘non-thinking voters’ point-in-case: NYC It’s sad that a bill has to pass and become law before it’s constitutionality can be legally challenged. Anyone who understands the 2nd Amendment knows this would be unconstitutional law. Seems we could save a lot… Read more »
We have this to look forward to in Virginia. The new Democrap supermajority in the legislature has already introduced a State level licensing scheme. Should it pass, The Historic Governorship of Abigail Rageberger will sign it.
Politicians do everything they can to infringe upon the rights of individuals with no recourse for the average person to defend themselves. When people are elected into office and cannot be prosecuted for their actions, they know they can do anything and get away with it. In today’s political climate, the more you introduce new laws, the more idiots vote for you. We need term limits, protection from these anti-rights politicians and the ability to punish them for trying to infringe upon the rights of individuals. In a country where a politician can stand up and speak of “collectivism” and… Read more »